Few Toronto attractions hit the sweet spot between “mesmerizing for adults” and “genuinely magical for kids” quite like Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada — the 12,500-square-metre aquarium at the foot of the CN Tower that holds more than 20,000 marine animals across 50 living exhibits. From the 96-metre underwater glass tunnel that puts you face-to-face with sand tiger sharks to the otherworldly Planet Jellies gallery and the touch-friendly Ray Bay, Ripley’s offers one of Toronto’s most consistently popular attraction experiences. This complete guide covers ticket prices, hours, must-see exhibits, transit, dining, photography rules, family tips, and answers to the questions visitors ask most. For broader context, see our complete guide to Toronto attractions.
For up-to-date official information, see the official Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada page.
Ripley’s Aquarium Quick Facts
Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada opened on October 16, 2013, and is located at 288 Bremner Boulevard in Toronto’s Entertainment District — literally next door to the CN Tower and a five-minute walk from Union Station. The facility holds 5.7 million litres of water across nine themed galleries, making it Canada’s largest indoor aquarium and the most-visited indoor aquarium in North America in many years.
The aquarium is part of the Ripley Entertainment family (the same group behind the Believe It or Not! franchise), and the Toronto location is one of three Ripley’s Aquariums in North America — the others are in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Toronto’s is the largest of the three.
Ripley’s Aquarium Hours & Tickets in 2026
Ripley’s is one of the few major Toronto attractions open 365 days a year, including Christmas Day, with extended hours that make it especially convenient for evening visits.
Hours of Operation
The aquarium is open daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., with last entry typically 60 minutes before closing. During summer holidays, March break, and select weekends, hours often extend until 10 or 11 p.m. for late-night visits. The shoulder hours of 7–9 p.m. are noticeably quieter than mid-day — a real advantage for visitors who prefer to skip school groups and weekend crowds.
Ticket Prices
Standard adult tickets start at around $40 CAD, with discounts for seniors (65+) at approximately $32, youth (6–13) at approximately $30, and small children (3–5) at approximately $13. Children 2 and under enter free. All tickets are timed-entry, so you choose a 30-minute arrival window when booking online — once inside, you can stay as long as you like.
Buying online in advance is meaningfully cheaper than walking up. The aquarium uses dynamic pricing, so weekday and shoulder-hour visits are typically discounted 15–25% compared to peak weekend afternoons. Annual passes ($75–$130 depending on tier) are an excellent value if you plan to visit twice or more in a year.
Toronto CityPASS
The Toronto CityPASS bundles Ripley’s Aquarium with the CN Tower, Casa Loma, the Royal Ontario Museum, and either the Toronto Zoo or Ontario Science Centre. Total savings come to roughly 38% off individual admission, with mobile delivery and 9-day flexibility. For visitors planning to see two or more of the bundled attractions, the CityPASS pays for itself almost immediately.
Combo Tickets with the CN Tower
Combo tickets bundling Ripley’s and the CN Tower next door are typically 10–15% cheaper than buying both separately. Both attractions sit on the same plaza, making them an easy half-day pairing.
How to Get to Ripley’s Aquarium
Ripley’s is one of the easiest major Toronto attractions to reach.
By Subway
Take the Yonge-University (Line 1) subway to Union Station, then walk five minutes south through the indoor SkyWalk to the aquarium’s base. The route is climate-controlled and works in any weather.
By Streetcar
The 510 Spadina or 509 Harbourfront streetcars stop at Bremner Boulevard, one block from the aquarium entrance.
By Train or UP Express
All GO Transit trains terminate at Union Station, which connects to the aquarium via the SkyWalk. The UP Express airport train from Pearson International reaches Union in 25 minutes for $12.35 — faster than a taxi during weekend traffic.
By Car
Multiple paid parking garages serve the area, including the dedicated Aquarium Parkade (entered from Bremner Boulevard) and several lots at Rogers Centre and the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Expect $20–$35 for a full visit; the Aquarium Parkade is the closest at well below the highest rates.
What to See at Ripley’s Aquarium
The aquarium is organised into nine themed galleries, with a recommended one-way path that takes most visitors 90 minutes to two hours to complete. These are the must-see highlights.
Dangerous Lagoon
This is the headline experience — a 96-metre moving sidewalk that carries you through an underwater glass tunnel beneath sand tiger sharks, sawfish, green sea turtles, giant moray eels, and stingrays. The Dangerous Lagoon holds 2.84 million litres of saltwater (the largest single tank at the aquarium), and the moving walkway means you can stand still and let the journey unfold around you, or walk against the flow to spend more time at favourite spots. The tunnel is wheelchair-accessible and exceptional for photography.
Planet Jellies
One of the most aesthetically stunning aquarium galleries in the world, Planet Jellies displays moon jellyfish, Pacific sea nettles, upside-down jellyfish, and the fluorescent crystal jellies in colour-shifting LED-lit cylindrical tanks. The exhibit is a long-time favourite of photographers and Instagrammers; expect to spend at least 15 minutes here.
Ray Bay & the Touch Pools
Ray Bay is the aquarium’s most interactive exhibit — a shallow open-top tank where visitors can dip their hands in and gently touch cownose rays, southern stingrays, and bonnethead sharks as they glide past. Aquarium staff are stationed at all times to guide visitors and ensure safe interactions for both humans and animals. The horseshoe crab and starfish touch pools nearby offer the same hands-on experience for younger children. Hand-washing stations are right at the exit.
Rainbow Reef
The aquarium’s Indo-Pacific reef exhibit holds 5,000 fish across 100 species, with parrotfish, surgeonfish, clownfish (think Finding Nemo), and the dramatically beautiful regal angelfish all visible from a 10-metre wraparound viewing window. The exhibit is staged for daily live-dive feeding shows where Ripley’s divers swim with the fish while a topside narrator explains what’s happening.
Canadian Waters
The first major gallery you encounter, Canadian Waters showcases Atlantic, Pacific, and freshwater species native to Canadian environments — lobsters, wolffish, lake sturgeon, and the kelp forest tank with leopard sharks. A welcome reminder that Canadian aquatic life is more diverse and dramatic than visitors expect.
Discovery Centre
An interactive children’s zone with bubble portholes (kids climb up and pop their heads inside the tanks), a pop-up periscope, and hands-on exhibits about how fish swim and breathe. Often skipped by adult-only visitors, but families with kids 4–10 can easily spend 30 minutes here.
Shoreline Gallery & the Tropical Lagoon
The smaller themed galleries fill out the experience: a tropical reef exhibit, an Atlantic seashore wave-action tank, and the Sawfish Bay exhibit featuring the prehistoric-looking smalltooth sawfish. None of these are as iconic as the Dangerous Lagoon, but each has its standout moments.
Daily Live Shows & Feedings
Several scheduled shows happen throughout the day and are well worth timing your visit around. Check the daily schedule at the aquarium entrance or on the Ripley’s app on arrival.
Dive Shows in Rainbow Reef: Live divers enter the tank and feed the resident reef fish while a topside narrator answers questions from the audience. Typically runs once or twice daily.
Shark Feeding in Dangerous Lagoon: The most dramatic of the daily shows — divers feed the sand tiger sharks while visitors watch from the underwater tunnel. Schedule varies; usually two to three times per week.
Stingray Feedings at Ray Bay: Aquarium staff hand-feed the stingrays a few times a day and use the moment to explain ray biology. Family-friendly and quick.
Friday Night Jazz: On selected Friday evenings, the aquarium hosts adult-focused (19+) live jazz performances among the tanks. Tickets sometimes include light food and drinks; check the events page on ripleyaquariums.com.
Best Time to Visit Ripley’s Aquarium
The aquarium is open 365 days, but the experience varies dramatically with timing.
Best Time of Day
The quietest hours are typically 9–10 a.m. (right at opening) and 7–9 p.m. (the late evening window). Mid-day on weekends and during school holidays is the busiest stretch — expect long lines at Ray Bay touch pools and crowded photo angles in the Dangerous Lagoon. If you have a flexible schedule, evening visits are the city’s best-kept secret: the aquarium’s low ambient lighting pairs naturally with a quieter crowd.
Best Day of the Week
Tuesday and Wednesday are the quietest weekdays. Mondays get a bump from school groups; Friday afternoon onward the weekend rush begins. If you can only visit on a weekend, target right at opening or after 7 p.m.
Best Time of Year
Late autumn (November) and January through early March are the quietest stretches. Summer school holidays (July–August), March break, and the Christmas school break are the busiest. Because Ripley’s is fully indoors, weather is essentially irrelevant to the experience — making it a perfect rainy-day or winter-day backup. For more rainy-day options, see our guide to things to do in Toronto when it rains.
Ripley’s Aquarium with Kids: Family Tips
Ripley’s is one of Toronto’s most genuinely family-friendly attractions. Children gravitate to the bubble portholes in the Discovery Centre (where they pop their heads up inside the tanks), the touch pools in Ray Bay, the moving walkway in the Dangerous Lagoon (a perpetual delight), and the colourful Planet Jellies gallery. Plan around 90 minutes total with younger children before energy flags.
Practical family logistics: strollers are welcome throughout the aquarium and the indoor route is fully step-free. Baby-changing rooms are available on every level. The Discovery Centre has a designated stroller-park area to free up your hands at the interactive exhibits. Hand-washing stations are positioned at the exits of all touch-friendly exhibits.
The aquarium’s on-site Sharks Bites cafe carries kids’ meals, but most parents pack snacks — outside food is permitted in designated areas. For more family-friendly Toronto planning, see our complete guide to Toronto with kids.
Where to Eat at Ripley’s Aquarium
The aquarium has limited on-site dining: the Sharks Bites cafe near the gift shop offers basic burgers, hot dogs, sandwiches, and snacks at convenience prices. Most visitors eat before or after their visit at one of the surrounding Entertainment District restaurants.
Nearby Restaurants
The aquarium sits in one of Toronto’s densest restaurant districts. Within a five-minute walk you’ll find Steam Whistle Brewery’s tap room (Canadian craft beer in the historic John Street Roundhouse), the Real Sports Bar & Grill (Canada’s biggest sports bar — great pre-game), Pai Northern Thai Kitchen on Duncan Street, and a wide range of family-friendly chains. For something special, the CN Tower’s 360 Restaurant is right next door.
Five minutes north on Wellington and King Streets, the King West restaurant strip opens up dramatically — everything from sushi at Ki Modern Japanese to Buca’s acclaimed Italian. For full Toronto dining context, see our complete Toronto food guide.
Photography at Ripley’s Aquarium
Personal photography is permitted throughout the aquarium without flash or tripods. The dim ambient lighting designed to keep marine animals comfortable creates challenging photo conditions, but a few techniques produce dramatically better results.
Best Photo Spots
The Dangerous Lagoon’s underwater tunnel is the obvious headline shot — lie on the moving walkway with your phone pointed up to capture sharks or sawfish passing overhead. Planet Jellies’ cylindrical tanks photograph spectacularly when you press your lens directly against the glass to eliminate reflections. The Rainbow Reef wraparound window catches stunning light during the daily dive show. The kelp forest tank in Canadian Waters is most photogenic 30 minutes after opening when the morning light filters through.
Phone Settings
Disable flash (it’s prohibited and would only reflect off the glass anyway). Use your phone’s “night mode” for dim galleries. Press the lens directly against the glass when possible to eliminate reflections. For motion shots in the shark tunnel, set your camera to burst mode and pick the sharpest frame later.
Accessibility at Ripley’s Aquarium
The aquarium is fully wheelchair accessible. All galleries are step-free, multiple elevators serve the multi-level facility, and accessible washrooms are available throughout. Service animals are welcome. Wheelchair rentals are available at the entrance on a first-come basis.
The Dangerous Lagoon’s moving walkway has a fixed-floor accessible bypass for visitors who prefer not to use the moving sidewalk. Sensory-friendly hours — with reduced lighting effects, lower sound levels, and quiet rooms — run on selected mornings; check ripleyaquariums.com for upcoming dates.
Behind-the-Scenes Tours & Special Experiences
For visitors who want more than the standard self-guided experience, Ripley’s offers several premium add-ons.
Behind-the-Scenes Tour
The 60-minute behind-the-scenes tour takes a small group through the working areas of the aquarium — life-support systems, animal kitchens, and the catwalks above the major tanks. Tour participants typically get to feed select species under staff supervision. Tickets cost roughly $40–$60 on top of admission and need to be booked in advance.
Sleeping with the Sharks
Family overnights at the aquarium let groups (typically 6–12 people) sleep in front of the Dangerous Lagoon viewing tunnel after closing. Includes evening programming, breakfast, and exclusive after-hours access. Tickets sell out months in advance.
Adult-Only Friday Nights
Several Friday evenings each month, the aquarium hosts “Friday Night Jazz” events for visitors 19+ only. Live jazz, drinks (alcohol is sold at these events — otherwise the aquarium is alcohol-free), and a more relaxed adult atmosphere among the tanks. A favourite Toronto date-night option.
What Else to Do Nearby
Ripley’s sits in the heart of the Entertainment District, with several major attractions within a 10-minute walk.
CN Tower
Right next door — literally sharing a plaza. The combo of CN Tower glass floor and Ripley’s underwater shark tunnel is one of Toronto’s classic half-day pairings. See our complete guide to the CN Tower.
Rogers Centre & Blue Jays Games
The retractable-roof home of the Toronto Blue Jays sits next to the aquarium. During baseball season (April–October), a game makes a perfect late-afternoon follow-up to a morning aquarium visit.
Hockey Hall of Fame
An eight-minute walk east at Yonge and Front. Houses the Stanley Cup, interactive simulators, and 65,000 square feet of NHL history.
St. Lawrence Market
Twelve minutes east on Front Street, the 200-year-old food market is one of the world’s great markets and a perfect lunch stop after the aquarium.
Harbourfront & Toronto Islands
The waterfront promenade and Jack Layton Ferry Terminal (gateway to the Toronto Islands) are five minutes south. Combine a morning aquarium visit with an afternoon Islands ferry for a complete Toronto waterfront day.
Frequently Asked Questions About Ripley’s Aquarium
How long does a Ripley’s Aquarium visit take?
Most visitors spend 90 minutes to two hours moving through the galleries at a comfortable pace. Families with young children or photography enthusiasts can easily stretch to three hours. The minimum to see the highlights is 60 minutes if you’re short on time.
Can you bring food into Ripley’s Aquarium?
Outside food and beverages are permitted in designated dining areas, though glass containers and alcohol are not allowed. Most visitors bring water bottles and light snacks; the on-site Sharks Bites cafe handles full meals.
Is Ripley’s Aquarium worth the price?
For most visitors, yes. The Dangerous Lagoon and Planet Jellies in particular are world-class exhibits that compete with any major aquarium in North America. The CityPASS bundle and online advance pricing both reduce the effective cost. Annual passes are exceptional value if you live in or near Toronto.
When is Ripley’s Aquarium least crowded?
Tuesday and Wednesday mornings (9–11 a.m.) and weekday evenings (7–9 p.m.) are consistently the quietest times. November and January through early March are the quietest months overall.
Are tickets refundable?
Standard timed-entry tickets are non-refundable but can be rescheduled up to 24 hours before your booked entry time, subject to availability. CityPASS tickets follow a separate flexible-rescheduling policy.
Can you touch the sharks?
The bonnethead sharks at Ray Bay are touchable under staff supervision. The larger sand tiger sharks in the Dangerous Lagoon are visible only through the glass tunnel and are not touchable.
Is there parking at Ripley’s Aquarium?
The aquarium does not have dedicated free parking, but multiple paid garages serve the area, including the Aquarium Parkade entered from Bremner Boulevard ($20–$30 for a full visit). Public transit is significantly easier than driving.
Is Ripley’s Aquarium accessible?
Yes, the entire facility is fully wheelchair accessible. Service animals are welcome, wheelchairs are available for loan at the entrance, and accessible washrooms are available throughout.
What’s the difference between Ripley’s Aquarium and the Toronto Zoo?
The Toronto Zoo is a 287-hectare outdoor zoo in Scarborough with terrestrial and aquatic animals. Ripley’s is an indoor aquarium focused exclusively on marine and freshwater species. The Toronto Zoo is more of a full-day experience and requires significant walking; Ripley’s is a shorter, more concentrated visit better suited to inclement weather or limited time.
Plan Your Ripley’s Aquarium Visit
Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada earns its reputation as one of Toronto’s most consistently rewarding attractions. For first-time visitors, book online for the best price, target shoulder hours (9–10 a.m. or 7–9 p.m.), and prioritise the Dangerous Lagoon, Planet Jellies, and Ray Bay. For families, the combo of CN Tower next door and Ripley’s makes one of Toronto’s strongest half-day pairings. For locals, the annual pass and Friday Night Jazz events make Ripley’s a year-round value.
For more attractions to add to your itinerary, see our complete guides to Toronto attractions and things to do in Toronto.